Under My Skin
by Irradiate
Summary: Now that Jack's got his body back, he's gotta figure out what to do about his surprisingly tolerable ex-brain-roommate... / Rhys/Jack with lots and lots of tension.


_Hi again ya'll! Here's the second Rhys/Jack experimental work I've been messing around with. It's a little longer, and has more potential for later chapters, but that's mostly because it takes off of a much simpler concept than the other one. ..That doesn't involve major, plot-altering headcanons. Y'know._

 _Anyway! This one is also much more nsfw "Jack can't figure out this whole "i like that Rhys guy enough not to kill him"" fun! Tell me what you think!_

 _Also, as apposed to the last one, this one's perspective more or less has Jack's bias all of it. Thought that'd be fun to play with._

* * *

It'd been a while since Jack got his body back— Quite a while. His _new_ body, that is. As much as Jack would have loved to've been reunited with the same meatbag he left on Pandora, Hyperion scientists could only do so much to put him back on his feet. In the most literal sense of the term. Despite the new body being generated brand spankin' new off the people presses, if those are a thing, it was seemingly identical to Jack's… _first_ body. Flaws and all; scars included. While he wasn't fond of them, some a hell of a lot more than others, there was a certain homey feeling that came from being put back into his body just the way he left it. It was like pulling a blanket you've owned forever out of the dryer and wrapping it around yourself, enjoying how nice and clean, and yet still familiar it was.

Yeah, let's put it that way. Dissecting Jack from Rhys's head and jamming it into a copy-Jack was like a warm blanket.

…On the topic of the little Hyperion cyborg, yes, he survived the operation. Fully intact. It wasn't fun, and he was so fucked up on pain killers afterward he could hardly tell what was up, down, sideways or.. really just about anything. He mistook a water fountain for Vaughn, god knows how, and tried to start up conversation before real Vaughn shoved him off to a hospital bed.

That was months ago. About three to be exact. Three months, two weeks, and four days, to be more exact. Jack and Rhys's homecoming was practically a holiday for Hyperion, and it was only the excitement of their "dead" CEO returning and the power that one such CEO had over the company spared Rhys of all the shit he'd gotten into with the company. You know, like stealing lots of tech and _killing Vasquez_. That kind of stuff.

Rhys was real lucky he got Jack to clear him of every crime he'd committed. Normally, Jack would have a ball bringing the hammer down on somebody who wronged his company just so he could watch them squirm. Well… Rhys, see.. Rhys was different- he had an advantage. Down on Pandora, when Jack was just an AI unit floating around in Rhys's head, ol' Handsome developed some weird affinity for the little dweeb. At first it was like a _"alright, cool, this kid is useful! He's good at not dying and he listens to, like, all of the shit I say!"_ but eventually it became more of a _"oh no"_ sort of situation. Understand? Jack doesn't face "oh no" situations very often. And usually whenever he does, they can be solved with guns.

This, however, couldn't be solved with guns. Well. Actually, it could, but the thing was that Jack didn't _want_ to solve it with guns.

So, to keep his debrief short, one thing led to another and Jack ended up kinda liking this guy — just enough to wanna keep him around, you know? Yeah. Right. Turns out that feeling was reciprocated, and pretty strongly. Not that that should surprise anyone, Rhys was a Jack fanboy from the get go, of course he'd have even more of a thing for the guy as time went on. Even if for a while there having Jack in his head made him consider blowing his own head off.

Now you know the basics so everything following this point makes sense. Jack has a thing for the cyborg boy and said cyborg boy has _had_ a thing for Jack since, like, forever. Rhys trusting Jack ended up being a big deal for both of them, yada yada, Jack gets his body back, yada yada, Jack decided maybe dating this kid might not be a terrible idea. He's tolerable and he's pretty cute. He's also the only person other than himself Handsome Jack would say he can _trust._ (..who is still alive and doesn't hate him, anyway.)

Oh, but.. About dating Rhys.. He hadn't exactly gotten to that yet. Mostly because he often went back and forth from being okay with the idea of wanting to cover that cute little face in kisses and being downright disgusted with it. He was in denial of liking the kid more often than was good for him, and it just went to show the extent of how much Rhys got to his head that he hadn't actually worked or even slept in days. It was just fucking _weird_ to him. He'd never felt like this for anyone anything like Rhys before. He couldn't wrap his head around what was so fucking special about Rhys that drove him crazy like this. He just— _Ugh_. There was something about that lanky, self-entitled, easily-flustered, robot-eyed Hyperion that made him think about himself just a little bit less. (only a little bit, though.)

By this point in time, Jack was back at his full power as CEO of Hyperion, and Rhys was sitting pretty at a high corporate position somewhere close under Jack. Like a head secretary, sort of. He dealt with Jack's smaller business inquiries- the stuff Jack was too busy or too important to be bothered with. It was nothing special, but it sure as hell was better than his last job.(and the one before that, too. Being Vice President Assistant Janitor just really, really sucked.)

Now three months, two weeks, four days, and a few hours past lunch, Jack was pacing back and forth through his office. The light cast from Elpis outside his window cast a bleak shadow of his form onto the floor. He started pacing so fast, turning so often, you'd half expect the shadow to start falling behind. Needless to say, something or some _one_ had him stressed. Tense and grinding his teeth behind a tight jaw and pursed lips. Often time his work, no matter what it was, didn't get to him like this. It got pretty intense, sure, but there was nothing thrown his way he didn't think he could handle.

Well.. It wasn't exactly _work_ that had him stressed. With every brisk step, he mumbled something under his breath. Most of it being curses and incomprehensible banter, but what did make sense was something along the lines of, _"you are Handsome friggin Jack and you need to get the fuck over yourself, stop being such a fucking pissbaby, and—"_

 _Knock knock._ Some asshole just had to come to his door at this _exact_ second and interrupt his train of thought. He stopped pacing at the first sound of the knocking, head turning to the door with low brows and alert eyes like he expected it to be looking back at him. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides a couple of times, sighing and shaking his head to brush off some of that tension. He ran a hand through his hair to make sure it was still perfect as always. It was, naturally.

Jack cleared his throat and called out a surprisingly hoarse, "It's unlocked," as he stepped up to his desk, setting his hands on the surface and leaning over it like he was examining paperwork. He had to make himself look like he wasn't on the verge of breakdo- _very bad mood._

Whoever was on the other side of the door was a little slow about walking in, at first just opening the door a few inches to take a peek inside before they stepped all the way into his office. Jack heard the sound of the door closing, then the click of heels on the floor approaching him.

"Sorry, this a bad time?" _Shit._ Seriously? Jack knew that voice before _he_ even finished talking. He kinda wished he'd just said he was busy a few seconds earlier, when Rhys was still on the other side of the door. Hell, he wished he'd just told him to fuck off, because a couple seconds ago he could've claimed he didn't know it was Rhys. He could tell somebody who wasn't Rhys to fuck off. That's easy.

Jack just held in the sigh that wanted to puff out of chest, instead quietly curling his fingers up against his desk. Tensing up again. "Depends. Is it _ever_ a good time to bother me with something I don't care about?" He retorted, turning his head at an angle to glance back at Rhys. He was dressed in his normal work clothes, that stupid-ass red tie included. He was holding a clipboard in his arm, tucked into his elbow.

Rhys rolled his eyes and huffed at Jack's snarky response. Not like he had expected any less. He walked up beside Jack at his desk and set down the clipboard beside one of his hands, meanwhile stealing a curious glance at whatever Jack was so intently working on. Weird, just a bunch of unfilled paperwork. Lots of places to sign, no signatures. He didn't even see a pen on the desk, come to think of it. He furrowed his brows, but decided he wouldn't say anything. With Jack being so bitter as it was, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to question him.

Jack's eyes went to the clipboard. He stood up straight and picked it up, looking over the contents. He scowled. Didn't even bother looking back up at Rhys when he spoke. "Fuck is this?" He mumbled irritably, staring at the paper like it was just the dumbest thing he'd ever held in his hands.

"One of the lower divisions wants a raise in their pay. They've had a lot more work since you've been.. you know.. back, alive, and stuff. They think it's only fair if you—"

Jack stopped him with a snort and curt laugh. He tossed the clipboard down onto his desk with a _clang._ "If I pay them more?" He made a "tsk" sound with his tongue. "What the hell am I paying these people for in the first place?" He laughed under his breath as he said that, as if it really was kinda funny to him that his workers thought they deserved to get more money from him.

Rhys's brows were held low and expression read nothing more than a very sarcastic, "wow, Jack, wow." He sighed. "Gun manufacturing. You know, just that branch of your company that only brings in, like, most of the revenue."

Jack's chest puffed with a short "hmph." He pointed a finger at Rhys, "Don't you sass me, Sugar. I know this business like the back of my hand. Everyone's pay is what it is for a _reason_ ," he said, drawing his hand back to his side, "And that's why I'm not raising jack shit." He gave a sneering grin that Rhys was sure made his eye twitch a little. That look annoyed him to all hell. It just yelled _arrogance._

"Right," he murmured, leaning over Jack's desk to grab his clipboard. Jack only took a half-second's glance over him. Didn't wanna risk Rhys catching him, but.. hey, he had a cute butt. Can't let that kind of thing go unnoticed. Rhys got back up straight and tucked the board back into the crook of his _human_ arm. "I'm sure your employees are just going to be thrilled to hear the news," he said in a total monotone. Jack's smirk only got brighter, which annoyed him more.

Jack reached a hand out and grabbed Rhys's chin, pointer finger under his jaw while the pad of his thumb pressed right under his lower lip. Rhys felt his shoulders tense at the touch, but he didn't dare jerk away. The suddenness of the gesture had caught him by surprise to say the least. "Awww, there you go sassing me off again…" He purred, suddenly dropping his positive expression all in one split second. A serious, even dark face came to replace it. "You're gonna have to stop doing that, kiddo." His tone was suddenly a whole lot deeper, too. He let go of Rhys's chin.

Rhys opened his mouth, about to make some snarky remark about how he still didn't like being called kiddo, but he kept it in for now. Wasn't worth the risk of pissing Jack off. He just scoffed and shot Jack a glare. "Yes, _sir,_ " he said briefly, sarcastic undertone very easy to hear. The corner of Jack's lip quirked just the littlest bit. There's a good little Rhysie.

Next thing, the cyborg was spinning on his heel and heading for the door, business having been concluded. Just… Jack felt the most sudden pressure in his chest, loss of heat in his face. It all just drained in a moment as the thought of Rhys leaving his office struck him in the face like a steel bat. But.. _Why?_ This was literally just an insignificant business meeting, one which only lasted a few minutes, what had him worked up now—

 _Oh._ Wait a second. He got it.

"Heyheyhey, hold up a second there, princess," He called after Rhys, who just sighed and stopped walking. Like he was not only annoyed but half expected this to happen.

"Alright, Jack, look, I get you're the big boss and you can do whatever you want and stuff, but I have to do actual work, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, work work work. Whatever. Shut up. I have more important things for you," Jack interrupted him, stepping away from his desk and circling around Rhys before stopping right in front of him.

Rhys's brow quirked and he cocked his head at a slight angle. "More… important things..?" He trailed off like he expected a good answer.

"Yeah, didn't I _just_ say that? Important things." He retorted, swaying himself a couple steps closer to Rhys. Close enough to reach for his chin or his jaw again if he wanted. His eyes scanned Rhys up and down, like that _was_ what he wanted. Rhys noted Jack's eyes darting from his own eyes down to his lips, his chin.. maybe even lower to his collarbone, before they came right back up. Made the hair on the back of Rhys's neck stand up, Jack examining him like that. "Important things liiiiiiiiiiiiike…. Giving up your lunch break tomorrow for your boss."

Rhys felt himself involuntarily sigh, like his lungs were just so done they decided to give up the breath held in them. He knew where this was going now; why Jack stopped him and what he wanted. "Oh, yeah? And for what?"

"Do you actually need a reason to accept an invitation from Handsome Jack? My _God._ " He scoffed, obviously a little offended, huffing audibly when Rhys didn't reply with anything but a deadpan glare. "Fine. I just… want to… discuss things. You know?" He cleared his throat. "Business, cupcake. Gotta keep up good communication with my right hand," he said, setting his hands on his hips in an attempt to feign confidence. Which came off as extremely ironic how poorly that went, considering how naturally confident Jack usually was.

"…Right. I'm sure you and your _right hand_ always have a lot of business," he joked bitterly, "Well, right now, I have employees of yours to disappoint, so.. I'll see you for our _business discussion_ tomorrow," Rhys remarked, making a short gesture to the door when he mentioned the employees he had to go ruin the days of. A moment later, he was stepping around Jack and promptly leaving his office.

From what Jack had seen, Rhys was in one Rakk's ass of a mood and didn't really think much of meeting with him tomorrow. This was, however, only because Rhys more or less fantasized about this happening for weeks, Jack asking him out, and he really wanted to play it cool when and _if_ it ever happened. In the hall outside Jack's office, Rhys had to check and make sure his heart-rate hadn't gotten so fast he'd give himself a heart attack. And maybe fist-bumped himself. Only like twice. He didn't die and he didn't make himself look stupid in front of Jack, _hell yes._

After he heard the door slam shut, Jack walked back over to his desk and practically fell into his big comfy wheely chair. He slumped all the way over the desk, setting his forehead right up against the cold metal surface and sighed loudly. Loud to the point it was actually more of a groan. "Fuck that guy," he mumbled under his breath, against the desk. He sighed and drew himself up, sitting up- though still slouched- in his chair. " _Fuck that guy_." He repeated, in less low and defeated tone. "Friggin asshole." He growled, slamming a fist onto his desk right on the word _asshole._ Probably to emphasize it.

Yeah, Jack. Fuck that guy.

The end of the work day came quickly and uneventfully. A few more people came into Jack's office on assorted business endeavors, but none of them actually entertained Jack in the least. Hell, nobody even pissed him off that bad. He didn't have to strangle or shoot _anyone._ Didn't even get the opportunity to give a lecture about why his employees were _his employees_ and not _the CEO_. They were all just boring, boring, boring… But that's business, right? Lots of boring to hold up and support the cool stuff.

Standing up from his desk and stretching his arms over his head, Jack yawned and started his way toward the door. Fuck this, his day was over. He'd spent plenty of hours in-office, doing CEO stuff, it was time for him to head on back to his place and get some sleep. He'd earned it, by his standards. Besides, this would be the first time in a few days he might actually get sleep.

Walking down the halls, he looked around at all the various passing personnel. There weren't many out and about considering most were in their homes sleeping this time of night, but those that were still either out for social endeavors or still on the job made a very noticeable effort to avoid eye contact. That more or less pleased Jack and brought a little grin to his face. He liked being _that_ intimidating to all those who were below him— which was everyone except him. Well. Save for Rhys, of course, who had picked up the incredible talent of not being afraid of Handsome Jack after having had him as an in-brain roommate for weeks.

Jack took his time reaching his humble abode and sauntering his way right back into his room, bypassing even the kitchen.(no pretzels this time of night, gotta keep up those sick abs) Jack had the nicest suite in Helios, of course; it resembled his office in stylization, lots of sleek metal, reflective and sharp edges, and lots of posters of himself. Only, as compared to his office, it was bigger and. You know. Had a king-sized bed. Amongst other home necessities, yeah, but the bed was pretty much the most important part.

Once he entered his bedroom, he kicked the door shut behind him and almost immediately started to undress. Fuck if sleeping in all those layers was comfortable. Jack stripped himself down to nothing but—… Actually, well, yeah, nothing. Jack didn't have to worry about people trying to get into his home- he was Handsome Jack for Christ's sake- and plus, even if anyone ever, for any reason, did(which would also mean they'd have to bypass security, mind you), they'd sure get a pleasant view if they walked in on him. Or at least, in his opinion it was a pretty pleasant view.

Jack kicked his pile of removed clothes aside and fell face-first down onto his mattress, sighing gently as his face buried into his soft, silk-cased pillows. "Mmh…" He mumbled happily under his breath, more than pleased to be in a setting so much more comfortable than his office.

He rolled himself over onto his back and shuffled himself into a comfortable position, propping his upper back, neck, and head at a slight angle against the hefty stack of pillows behind him. Jack sighed and just let his muscles sink into the mattress, letting all that tension melt off.

He got himself ready to actually sleep for the first time in days. Eyes heavy and head hazy with wishful thoughts of peaceful snoring and not a single annoying employee for the next eight hours…. Until, well, something _else_ decided to sneak up into his head. A thought that was still wishful, but less… uh.. peaceful.

This unwelcome and unwarranted thought sparked an unexpected shiver down the length of his spine, jolting him against his pillows. As compared to his previous numbing thoughts of sleep and peace, this felt like a train hitting him head-on. He grunted softly, shifting uncomfortably against his bed Somehow.. Some way.. the thought of _Rhys_ bending over his desk earlier that day, when he was grabbing his clipboard, just walked itself right back into his head. Fucking _great._ Right now, seriously? He grunted and shook his head like he was trying to shake off the thought. No. No no. He didn't need this. Not right now. He was going to sleep right now.

The thought stayed, no matter what he did or how hard he tried to push that thought the hell out. It persisted. That lingering memory of Rhys's nicely rounded ass as he arches over his desk, close enough for him to grip his hands around it… squeeze tight… and… Oh, man. This was bad.

But.. The more he thought about it.. Ooh, Jack's imagination started to just run with this idea now. The proposition of trying to push this thought away and out of his head was practically out the window. He knew there was no way he could just get it to go away, so why not just have fun with it? Nobody can find out what goes on in just your own damn head anyway, right?(wow jack, that's not ironic.)

Jack started to let himself think, to roam around the ideas in his head… No grabbing a clipboard anymore; that's boring. Just Rhys pushing his face down and ass up as he bends forward, dress shirt all undone and pushed up, belt unbuckled and… Oh! Oh.. His nice and neat hair all ruffled up, like somebody had been playing with it, bite marks and hickeys all up and down Rhys's neck, trailing lower onto his chest… His stomach… His back… His hips…

An audible, involuntary groan left Jack's lips, and he felt himself tense up, cheeks hot and flushed. That was.. unexpected. God, even for him this was a little ridiculous. It shouldn't be that easy for Rhys to get to him. Better yet, dirty little thoughts of Rhys shouldn't be _that_ irresistible. But.. Nevertheless, they were. Hmph. It still low-key disgusted Jack how crazy he was for this guy.

Well, Jack figured, since he's already gotten himself so riled up, and these thoughts seem to be only headed one place.. That one place definitely not being _away_ … and it's not like anyone would ever know…

He slid a hand under the covers of his blanket, bringing Rhys's _right hand_ joke to some shitty, ironic reality. Jack was already half-hard when he wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, triggering an immediate low moan as he started to slide his hand up the length.

He kept thinking. He thought about his hands on Rhys's waist, keeping him held down against he desk while also hauling his ass up against his own hips, grinding his erection up on that tight ass. Jack growled and bit his lip at that awfully teasing thought, stroking himself up and down a little more persistently. His inner thigh twitched and toes curled. God, he wanted everything he thought about. But, see…

..Problem here was that he couldn't just _get_ whatever he wanted out of Rhys. He couldn't force anything out of him, couldn't blackmail, shoot, or punch his way into getting just what he wanted. Wouldn't be any fun that way. He had to _earn it._ Things with that scrawny little twerp were only fun when he'd earned them. Which… As seldom of a feeling as it was for Jack, he was willing to do just that; earn Rhys's affection. More than willing, really, given just how much he wanted that adorable little face under him, moaning his name and panting for more.

At that subtle reminder of that image, Rhys saying his name in that breathy, pleasure-struck tone, Jack's mind started to drift right back into… What was it again, aside from just that fine ass right in front of him?… and… _Oh!_ Right, bent over his desk, Jack's cock hard up on his ass. Right. That. Jack grunted and slid his palm up and down his veiny dick, dripping precum onto his hand. He involuntarily bucked his hips up into his hand as he started to think about putting his fingers through the belt loops in Rhys's pants, tugging them down to his knees. Rhys would whimper and shudder a little. Nervous about taking Handsome fuckin' Jack, huh? Yeah. Definitely.

Jack smirked to himself at that little exert of self-adoration, twitched in his slick palm at the excitement. While it was for damn certain it was Rhys he was getting off to, the affectionate thoughts aimed toward himself definitely did help. Not like anyone would be surprised that Jack could get off thinking about Jack, anyway.

Getting off the topic of himself and back on that of Rhys, Jack thought about reaching one hand down and grabbing tight onto one of those nicely rounded ass-cheeks. He'd give a nice squeeze and Rhys would moan, arching his back to give him a better view. Real-world Jack shuddered, felt a shiver down his spine, and kept going. He imagined moving that hand to stroke his fingers in the gap between his ass cheeks, pressing his fingertips right up against that tight hole.

He'd reach around with his free hand, grab a bottle of lube.. He imagined Rhys glancing back at him for a moment, those pretty eyes wide and expectant. Just begging to get fucked against Jack's desk.

Or. Well.. That was how Jack imagined it. Puppy-dog eyes that just whispered, _"fuck me."_ Anyway. Jack would squeeze some of the lube into his palm, rub that slick fluid around in his fingers before running his wet index and middle finger down Rhys's ass, triggering a shiver. Then.. Slowly.. he'd push his fingers up inside, surprisingly gentle as he did so, only so that he could watch Rhys's reaction. Which would be him moaning, _"Oh, Jack!"_ and begging for his cock.

Jack's fantasies were all… A bit biased…

He thought about pushing his fingers in deeper and curling them up as he got them in closer to Rhys's prostate. He stroked himself a little faster back out in the real world, started panting under his breath. Oh, this was just getting good.. He imagined he'd finger Rhys just up until he got him to loosen up under his touch, then he'd pull his fingers back out, take a moment to savor that sweet moan Rhys would _totally_ make, and then start to unbuckle his pants.

His pants, which by that time, would have become extremely uncomfortable given the not only rock-hard but super huge dick trapped in them.(biased.) Rhys would shiver as he heard Jack chuckle under his breath a little as he had his jeans and boxers sliding down his thighs, cock popping out and slapping against his stomach after he'd pulled the hem of his boxers down low enough. Then…

He'd wrap his hand around the base of his cock, direct it to rub against that still-tight-despite-previous-stretching hole.. Rhys would groan and shiver, then begin to beg Jack to just _give it to him,_ saying just the nastiest things in just the most harmonious tone of voice. Real-world Jack moaned at just the thought, thighs beginning to quiver as his hand moved up and down repeatedly, picking up speed. Imagination Jack would then be glad to oblige the cyborg's request, pressing the head of his cock up against his ass.

He'd feel as Rhys shivered, whimpering pleadingly under his breath. Jack would start to press the head against that ring of muscle, sliding inside—

— Jack jolted. _Hard._ He involuntarily moaned as every muscle in his body seemed to suddenly cease up, and he… Came into his hand, and all over his torso.. Releasing all at once. He'd gotten himself so wound up in his thoughts he didn't even realize how close he was to cumming. Jack panted and wiped his wet palm off on his thigh, letting the tension ease off and lying back on his pillows.

"Fuck…" He mumbled under his breath. Bitterly, despite having just came to the thought of that really cute cyborg he had a thing for. "..Didn't even get to the really good parts…" He grumbled like a disappointed man-child. He was displeased with himself for having gotten so riled up so easily that he couldn't even last through a round with Rhys in his imagination.

That.. That wouldn't happen in real life… Would i— No. No way. Handsome Jack does _not_ finish prematurely when he's really in the act. No.


End file.
